After taking the lead late on the road against Penn State Saturday, it looked like Tim Beckman might finally secure his first Big Ten win as Illinois head coach -- but it was not to be. Penn State eventually forced overtime with a Sam Ficken 35-yard field goal and won 24-17 after a Christian Hackenberg touchdown pass and a Ryan Keiser interception in the extra period.
The loss dropped the Illini to 3-5 (0-4 Big Ten) and extended Illinois’ Big Ten losing streak to 18 consecutive games, 12 of those with Beckman at the helm. Despite the team’s ineptitude in conference play, after the game Beckman more or less guaranteed his team would win a conference game this season.
The Fighting Illini have four chances to ensure Beckman’s sentiment comes true. First, the Illini travel to Indiana next Saturday before a home contest with Ohio State, a road game at Purdue, and the season finale at home against Northwestern.
The outlook doesn’t look too promising. Purdue is definitely the team’s best chance of breaking the streak.
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via Y! Sports Blogs - Yahoo Sports http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/tim-beckman-says-illinois-win-big-ten-game-204400309--ncaaf.html
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